Biodiversity and Conservation Assessment of Vegetation in the Archaeological Sites of El-Jadida, Safi and Azemmour, Morocco

Abstract

The Moroccan archaeological sites of Mazagan and the ancient medinas of Azemmour and Safi, located on the Atlantic coast, are home to a significant plant diversity that must be taken into consideration. The objective of this work is to analyze this biodiversity in relation to the geographical origin of the species and their conservation status. The species identification process made it possible to list 87 taxa belonging to 30 families. The Asteraceae family is the richest with 16 species. The biological spectrum is dominated by therophytes (49%). From a chorological point of view, the species recorded in the three sites are of Mediterranean origin at nearly 35% followed by cosmopolitan species (16%). Among these species, 9 are rare and threatened, 4 are suspected rare and 5 species are very rare. Sonchus pinnatifidus is an endemic species threatened in the study area. The majority of the species recorded are of least concern, i.e. at low risk of extinction (74%). The majority of the species recorded are found in the Middle Atlantic Morocco (MAM) region, characterized by a semi-arid bioclimate. This reflects the similarity of environmental conditions between the three sites. Documenting and studying this biodiversity makes it possible to identify rare and threatened species, and those with phytogeographic interest, which is essential for their protection, while highlighting the interconnection between cultural and natural heritage.